You might not expect a Saison in winter. But the enemy didn’t expect Washington to cross the icy Delaware, either. Expectations be damned, we say. We’re sneaking up on winter with a boatload of bravado and this Belgian-style farmhouse ale. Dry hopped with whole organic cardamom pods, our Saison has an assertive spiciness. In your face, winter.

Reviews by magnusdave:

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Had a can at Fireworks Restaurant in Brattleboro Vermont, poured into a cold pint glass.

Look--Pleasant straw yellow with even haze throughout the column, little foam.

Smell--Subtle lemon, banana ester that you might expect from a Hefeweisen like Hoegaarden. Enjoyable.

Taste--Again reminded me of the notes in Hoegaarden, and good, but some sort of relative hole in the taste that I cannot describe….Perhaps I wanted a little more of that thick, syrupy banana taste that I expected from the scent. It may be that the saison style is supposed to be leaner, more crisp, and less sweet. More of that nice banana does linger as the beer warms, so I'd definitely suggest having this one luke cold.

Feel--Hard to separate from the taste. Overall I really like what the beer has up front and I personally would prefer some of those qualities lingering. There is nothing new and unpleasant as it goes down. I just meant to say that I want the nice qualities of this beer to stick around longer after a sip.

Overall, I did enjoy this one (fun label art too, with the Crossing the Delaware reference). A lot of nice qualities that I wanted to get more of, like with Paulaner Hefeweisen's yeasty banana thing. On the other end, the few saisons I know well have that barnyard quality, which I do not get here. This one has a thin flavor profile to me but is still tasty and nicely balanced. (1,390 characters)

A good Saison, don't know of many canned Saisons which is cool and all but on the flipside it does detract from the crispness I look for within this beer style. This pulls away from the flavor a bit as well, perhaps I am used to the bottle conditioning and big dryness in most. (570 characters)

Mouthfeel: sweetish start with a big bitter end, light bodied with high carbonation

Overall: I really like the powerful pepper here and the flower is nice as it warms up. The end is a bit bitter for the style, but I still like this one as a more affordable saison. I could sip on a couple as the weather started to warm. (498 characters)

Taste: Mostly matches the aroma, with banana, pepper, lemon, straw and hay. Fairly spicy and bitter finish - more bitter than most Saisons. However, it does not quite have the depth of flavor to make this top notch.

Feel: Moderately high carbonation with a relatively light body. Finish is quite dry.

Overall: A very nice Saison. Since it is lighter and more bitter than many others, this would be better as a summer beer, rather than releasing it late in winter. I won't ding the score for being released at an odd time, but I wish I could have this while mowing the lawn. (771 characters)

Poured from a 12 oz. can into a Sam Adams "Perfect Pint" glass. Canned on 12-17-12.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy yellowish golden orange with a lot of bubbles. Big four finger white head with decent retention. Leaves a lot of lacing around the glass.

Smell: A very spicy and yeasty aroma with good hints of citrus. Belgian yeast with some hints of barnyard funk, pepper, and clove. Big scent of cardamom spicing that really sticks out. Herbal, earthy hops with a hint of grass. Hints of citrus orange and lemon zest along with some banana. Soft malts with hints of wheat grains, hay, and biscuit. A nice spice driven Saison smell.

Taste: Like the smell hints, a very spice driven Belgian farmhouse taste with esters of citrus. Belgian yeast with pepper and clove spicing along with a little ginger. Big taste of the cardamon spice. Fairly herbal with some earthy hops and grass. Taste of banana and citrus fruit including orange and lemon zest. Soft bready malts with notes of wheat grains, hay, and biscuit. A pretty nice twist on the style.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with a medium to high level of carbonation. Crisp, spicy, and very smooth. Fairly drying.

Overall: A pretty good tasting take on the style. A pretty untraditional take on it with the heavy cardamon, but it works well. (1,299 characters)

Clouded golden body with a bright white head, speckled lacing left behind. Aroma has spice mild citrus notes, brewed with cardamom well I couldn't have pulled that one out by itself. Slightly metallic note in the nose and definitely in the flavor, bitterness from the spice additions, lemon lime quality just plain unbalanced and not a good representative of the style. Mouthfeel is dry bitter, tingling with acidity, and spices hard to get down each sip lasts around longer carbonation is forced a bit much in all regards. Overall, I tend to like 21st Amendment releases this one has to be off, or it was just a straight miss. (627 characters)